No matter what, today Ronan's haul was seriously impressive.
Secret Knowledge +1 +1 +1
Except, of course, he still didn't have a way to deal with Chaos Magic.
Anyway, Ronan had it figured out now—it's just a case of "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Chaos Magic might be a heavy hitter, but was he, Ronan, just some pushover?
The outcome? Not set in stone.
"Ronan, you've gotta remember—destiny's a pretty wild thing."
"A lot of folks think, 'If destiny's locked in, what's the point of fighting or struggling?'"
"But then there's the flip side—plenty of people say, 'Even if destiny's set, I'm not letting myself be some nobody.'"
"Truth is, neither side's wrong."
The Ancient One took a sip of tea, and a servant stepped up right on cue, refilling their cups.
The delicate tea aroma wafted up again.
"Going with the flow of destiny or kicking against it—it's all your call."
"There's no right or wrong choice, as long as you own the consequences."
"So, however you play it, you're in the right."
The Ancient One watched Ronan, deep in thought, then stood up gracefully.
She turned and strolled over to the other side.
Ronan just stared at her back—it was like looking at a stubborn, upright bamboo stalk.
Like…
The Ancient One never had these kinds of worries.
"I've met Gwen, and I'm happy with her."
"How you two turn out down the line? That's up to you."
"If you've got nothing going on, take Gwen to the Hong Kong Sanctum for a little two-person weekend trek."
The Ancient One turned back, winking at Ronan with a grin.
Then, a Sling Ring portal flared up, and she stepped through.
On the other side of that portal? The Dark Dimension—Ronan knew it well.
What he might not know was that after he spilled the beans about his clash with Dormammu, the Ancient One had made up her mind.
Time to give Dormammu a little "lesson"!
As the portal snapped shut, Ronan let out a soft breath.
He'd heard her destiny spiel a bunch of times before.
But every time, it hit different.
Truth be told, there was one question he hadn't voiced.
When he absorbed that dark energy, it felt like he was inching closer to the Dark Dimension with every step.
He didn't know if that was good or bad.
But the Ancient One seemed to see right through his doubts, tossing him advice ahead of time.
Whether he chose to ditch it or embrace it, it was his move.
That one line alone smoothed out the jittery mess in his head.
Dormammu, huh?
Alright, let's tango!
Right then, Gwen Stacy finally snapped out of her "dreamscape" trip.
Though she was back, she wasn't *all* back.
It's a weird way to put it, but it fit her current vibe perfectly.
How to explain it?
Gwen Stacy never imagined the world had so much she didn't know.
Not that she thought she had the real world all figured out.
Science had infinite possibilities, sure, but most of it stayed in her grasp.
Even the obscure, high-end stuff—she could crack it with books, lectures from profs, step-by-step.
But that dream trip just now? It was like stumbling into the most cutting-edge, arcane corner of science.
Knowledge Gwen Stacy couldn't find a book or teacher to explain.
It was a full-on worldview reshape.
Of course, if Ronan knew what was bouncing around in her head, he'd probably laugh and shake his head.
It wasn't *that* deep.
Humans freak out about ghosts and gods showing up because the threat's too real.
That stuff's fine in books, legends, movies—even weird tales from dads or grandpas.
But on *you*? No way.
Even if you've read a million spooky stories.
The more you know, the scarier it gets.
Take Gwen Stacy now—if she dug deeper into mystic secrets, it wouldn't be curiosity driving her.
It'd be awe.
At its core, her worldview just got a new layer of knowledge tacked on.
"Ronan, was all that real?"
Gwen Stacy grabbed his arm, like she needed confirmation.
But her tone? Rock solid.
She already believed.
Now she just needed Ronan to seal it with a yes.
"If you think it's real, it's real."
"If you think it's just a mirage, then that's all it is."
Ronan grinned, dodging a straight answer.
Simple reason: mysticism's all about the heart.
It's not like science, where everything's got a clean, logical breakdown.
Science can tell you Archimedes could lever the Earth with the right fulcrum.
But mysticism? It can't explain why a Sling Ring portal jumps you across space from point A to point B.
Science can't either, for that matter.
You believe it, it's there. Don't believe it, you'll never learn it.
That was the Ancient One's first lesson to Ronan.
"I think it's gotta be real."
Gwen Stacy pressed her lips together, finally spilling her gut feeling.
Forget aliens invading or superheroes—they'd been around forever.
Just tagging along with Ronan, hopping through real space jumps a few times, she was already sold.
"Yep, just like the teacher said—you've got talent."
"Compared to most folks, your ability to roll with this stuff is off the charts."
Ronan smiled, ruffling Gwen Stacy's hair.
He'd known for a while her adaptability was leagues above average.
Normal people see him whip out a Sling Ring portal, and shock outweighs curiosity every time.
But Gwen back then? Sure, she was shocked, but curiosity won out.
That's why she got a grip on this stuff so fast!
"Huh?"
"Where's Aunt Ancient One?"
Gwen Stacy finally noticed the Ancient One was MIA.
"You can call her Teacher Ancient One, like I do."
"She's off handling some business for me."
Ronan thought of the portal's endpoint and cracked a grin.
Bet Dormammu didn't see this coming—mess with the kid, and the big guns show up.
The kid's first visit? Kicked his ass six ways to Sunday.
The big shot's a regular? Shears off a chunk of his wool every time.
Good thing Dormammu didn't know the Ancient One and Ronan were师徒 (mentor and student)—or he'd plaster the Dark Dimension with a sign: "The Ancient One and Ronan, my most hated enemies!"
Not the strongest, mind you, but definitely the most despised!
"Handling business?"
"What's that mean?"
Gwen Stacy blinked, totally lost.
"Forget what it means. I didn't bring you here to swim in a sea of knowledge."
Ronan stood up, bent slightly, and offered his right hand.
"So, Ms. Stacy, care to join me for a weekend trek?"
---
Eastern Country, Hong Kong.
The annual New Year had the whole city buzzing with festive vibes.
Everyone's face glowed with happy grins, and the streets were decked out with New Year gear.
Gwen Stacy gawked at it all, wide-eyed—this was totally new to her.
Fresh. All fresh.
"So, how's this trek treating you?"
Ronan grinned at Gwen Stacy.
"Where are we?"
"The Eastern Country?"
Gwen Stacy was sharp—she'd clocked it fast. New York's got plenty of Chinese vibes, after all.
She'd hit up Chinese restaurants before, no doubt.
Before Ronan could answer, a middle-aged lady strolled up.
"Handsome boy, need help?"
"No need dollar, lah."
She pinched her index finger and thumb, making a "tiny bit" gesture.
What's funnier? "Handsome boy" was in Cantonese, "Need help?" was English.
"No need dollar" was classic Chinglish.
But it warmed the heart.
To a foreigner like Gwen Stacy, she only caught a few words.
So she shot Ronan a big question-mark look.
Sure, most of it was English, but strung together? Gibberish to her.
"You talking what, auntie?"
Ronan replied with a laugh.
"Wah, handsome boy, you can speak Cantonese!"
"Gong hei fat choy, lah."
The lady's face lit up when she realized Ronan spoke Cantonese—total shock.
But soon, she grinned, cupping her fists to wish him well.
Americans are mostly practical folks—money's money, no shame wherever you make it.
Just don't pull a zero-dollar grab.
"Gong hei fat choy."
In this festive mood, Ronan grinned back.
From this kind lady, he saw a warmth that outshone most Americans.
If an American ran into a foreigner…
Especially the "brothers"?
They'd either fleece you or give you a taste of Ugly America.
"What were you guys saying?"
Gwen Stacy piped up after the lady left.
She hadn't understood a lick of it.
Ronan translated the chat, and Gwen mentally replayed the lady's English, cracking a knowing smile.
First time she'd seen English bent like *that*!
"Hey, Ronan."
Right then, a man and woman strolled over from nearby.
The guy was Wong, naturally, and the woman waving at Ronan was Nico—the Hong Kong Sanctum's boss.
"Nico, long time no see."
Ronan shook her hand with a smile.
Three out of the four here spoke Cantonese, but for Gwen Stacy's sake, he stuck to English.
"When you were little, you'd pop by Hong Kong all the time. Where you been these past few years?"
Nico grinned, shaking his hand.
How to put it? She was old enough—like Wong—to have watched Ronan grow up.
Back then, Ronan loved swinging by the Hong Kong Sanctum whenever he could. The vibe here just clicked with him more.
"Had to hit the books—Teacher Ancient One kept me on a tight leash."
"But look, I'm here now, right?"
Ronan laughed, introducing Gwen Stacy to them and vice versa, filling her in on Wong and Nico.
After the intros, Nico took Gwen Stacy up front, heading toward their spot.
Wong and Ronan trailed behind.
"I told you to come early to slap up some Spring Festival couplets, and you roll in at lunchtime."
"So you're just slacking on purpose, huh?"
Wong shot Ronan a side-eye, not thrilled.
He'd called in a strong pair of hands to help, so how'd he end up with a freeloader?
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Teacher Ancient One had to meet Gwen."
"Why don't you take it up with her?"
Ronan smirked, tossing the Ancient One's name out as a shield.
He wasn't lying—she'd said it herself.
Hearing her name, Wong flipped Ronan an international "hello" gesture.
"Don't act all salty—you don't even know what I went through last night."
"Dormammu—you know him? I legit paid him a New Year's visit."
Yeah…
They say you don't hit kids during the New Year, so a pre-holiday beatdown counts as an early greeting, right?
Probably.
"Cut it out, stop bragging."
"I'm scared one day you'll puff Dormammu right out of the Dark Dimension."
Wong didn't buy a word of Ronan's "big talk."
A New Year's visit to Dormammu?
Why not invite him down for a holiday feast while you're at it?
To Wong's total lack of vision, Ronan wasn't about to waste breath arguing.
Once he reclaimed what was his, first thing—he'd make Wong wash his clothes daily!
For ten thousand years!!!
Flexing with no one getting it? Pure torture.
Steve Rogers and Tony Stark only knew so much about Dormammu—they couldn't grasp how badass Ronan was.
Wong? Didn't believe him at all.
Only the Ancient One got what he'd been through.
But flexing to her…
Think of how many times she'd scrapped with Dormammu. Think of her power level. Ronan wisely shelved that idea.
He'd just get his face handed to him.
So, this pain of flexing with no one to vibe—anyone get it?
"Alright, enough of that."
"Let's enjoy this New Year first—give your little girlfriend a taste of a real Spring Festival."
"Not that fake Chinatown knockoff."
"As for after the festival—"
"There's a tiny favor I need."